New Years Resolutions 105 – Selecting Self-Help Tools

I recently visited a few bookstores just to check out the self help sections, including a store that I started using nearly 15 years ago.  I don’t know why, but I was amazed to see how that section has grown over the past decade.  There are books on how to do anything and everything one can imagine.  It was quite overwhelming to say the least, because each one of them was “the one”.  That one that will give you results.  But you have to wonder; how many of these ones can there be?

If every self-help book or CD out there was really “the one”, there would be no one with issues left in this country.  This is not to say that these books and other products don’t work. They can work; but for the right people.  The sale of these self-help tools is the multimillion dollar industry it is because many people are chronic buyers even when they are not getting results.  After they did not get the results from one product, they go out and buy the next big one.  All these products do have their own benefits, but people make the mistake of approaching them “with a one size (or item) fits all” mentality.  That is most untrue and an unrealistic expectation.  We are unique; we have different needs and different levels of willingness.  When you select tools to help you with any project you need to select tools not just because they are advertised as likely to help, but because you feel they can help you.

The secret to getting results from any product is… You HAVE to use it.  That is why it is so important that you select products that you will actually use.

When selecting these materials, just as you had to do when identifying your New Years Resolutions or other goals, you first need to know you and how you operate.  You have to know how you work so that you know what will work for you.  You have to understand the particular factors that motivate you as well as the things that discourage you.  There is an abundance of tools out there that are intended to help people with many aspects of making changes, but not all of them will work for everyone.  If you can figure out what types of things work for you, then you increase the likelihood that you will select the right product for yourself.  When you look to do this, there are a few questions that you want to be able to answer

1. What am I looking to accomplish?

2. What will I need to do to accomplish this?

3. Have I done anything like this in the past? If so what helped me?

4. What is my normal method of operation? How do I learn or work best?

5. What are my strengths that will help me reach this resolution or goal? And what weaknesses will I need to overcome to reach this resolution or goal?

By answering these five questions you will be able to get a clearer picture of what you will need to have in the tools that you will select to help you.  While I recommend answering all these questions, if you can only answer a single question, make it question 4.  Knowing the way you operate will help you in selecting the tools that will be most efficient for helping you.  Along with having numerous programs, they are also available in many different formats.  If you are not one who is likely to sit and read a thick book (which you can usually tell by the number of books you’re read in the last three to six months), then a book set is probably not the best item for you.  You would also need to do the same assessment for CDs DVDs and other forms of media that these tools come in.  No matter how great a resource is, there is absolutely no point to having it if you are not using it.  Unless of-course you need another item to collect dust.

Once you’ve narrowed down the media format that you are more likely to benefit from then you will also have to consider the support level that you will need and the availability of that through the programs that you will select.  In NYR 106 we will address the evaluation of program content and requirements.

Whatever your New Years Resolution is… Receive my best wishes for success.

DrJudiC

Dream Big… Live Bigger…

www.DrJudiC.com